The Breathing Method

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The Breathing Method is a novella by Stephen King which was released as part of his Different Seasons collection in 1982. It is placed in the section entitled "A Winter's Tale".

The novella's plot focuses on David, the narrator of the frame tale, a middle-aged Manhattan lawyer who joins a strange men's club where the members, in addition to reading, chatting and playing pool and chess, tell strange stories. On the Thursday before Christmas, the elderly physician Dr. Emlyn McCarron tells the story of a patient of his who was determined to give birth to her illegitimate child, no matter what.

The story ends on a haunting note as the narrator comes to realize that the club is more than it appears and the care-taker (while being from the Bronx) is much more than he seems. This is handled quite cleverly as the care-taker explains, "It is the tale, not he who tells it," thus implying that those who tell the stories are but a small cog in civilization.

The Breathing Method is the only novella in Different Seasons for which no movie adaptation exists, as Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption, Apt Pupil, and The Body have all been filmed as The Shawshank Redemption, Apt Pupil, and Stand by Me, respectively.